Just a Little Hate

Just a Little Hate


Eyes open
searching for that which has changed
Hope holding fast
though no progress yet gained
Leaving hate ever growing
becoming ingrained

Hoping
moping
doping
mostly misanthroping
Feeble endeavors
attempts at mere coping
You try to get out
but there’s no place to go
Traveling in circles
in hate’s undertow

Hate
it’s a verb
it’s a noun
an adjective of late
Describing what one will not tolerate
such as tastes that the palate won’t cultivate
All of which we adamantly say that we hate

We hate
the snow
the wind
the cold
the heat
broccoli, liver, any gristly meat
Neighbors
bosses
and cops – ‘til we need ‘um
Then of course there’s noise
maybe silence
and God forbid tedium



To hate is so easy
a natural state
Covers what we don’t know
can’t contemplate
If it’s different or foreign or just out of date
there are plenty of reasons to bring on a spate

Greeks and Slovaks
Russians Ukraine’s
haughtily flaunt their long strange-sounding names
So it’s okay to despise them
with the rest of those sots
the Rag Heads the Frogs
the Spades Krauts and Wops

We’ve got hate groups a plenty
committing hate crimes
which I’d never heard of
until recent times

We hate weeds
but not weed
In others it’s greed
But in ourselves it’s that goddamned
dependent need

So gather around
It is time we insist
that the nation compile an official hate list
All can contribute
yours won’t contradict
We’ve a capacity for hating
damn near limitless

A.N. Pavia May, 2009